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Democratic political newcomer Ed Chabal, a former school finance director for the Mount Pleasant Community School District, is running for the seat of two-term Republican incumbent Sen. Dawn Driscoll (46th District) in the Nov. 5 election. I’m running to take away the.
The district includes parts of Washington, Kalona, and Johnson counties. As of Oct. 1, there were a total of 35,409 eligible voters in the district, including 14,564 Republicans and 9,860 Democrats, according to the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office.
ed chabal
“I’m concerned about what I’ve seen in public schools over the last few years,” Chabal, 64, said of why he decided to run for office. “There was also insufficient funding, not keeping up with inflation, the school voucher bill passed the year before, and a reorganization throughout the AEA.”
Ed Chabal (submitted photo)
Citing a 2024 law that changes Iowa’s local education agency funding model and a 2023 law that provides tax dollars to Iowa families who want to enroll in private schools, Chabal said, “We just want to make sure our public schools are strong.”
“They are the backbone, the foundation, of our community,” he said. “And taking away funding, taking away services…I just think of it as a deterioration of public schools.”
Chabal, who retired from his job in school finance in August, grew up in the district on a “farm between Kalona and Washington.”
Chabal, who described herself as “pretty moderate,” said she hopes residents in her district will be open-minded and willing to discuss and educate themselves.
“We want people to vote on this issue, not just because of their party,” he said, noting that education and the environment are among the most important issues facing Iowans going forward.
Related to his argument that Iowa needs to address environmental issues, he said, “We need to fund research to understand why Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the country.” “There is,” he said.
“We need to continue investigating this group of cancers to study the complex combination of factors that cause cancer,” he said. “We also need to encourage known ways to reduce cancer, such as radon mitigation and reverse osmosis systems that filter water, especially in rural areas.”
ed chabal
Age: 64 years old
Your town: Washington
Occupation: Retired school treasurer for Mount Pleasant Community School District.
Previous job: None
dawn driscoll
Driscoll, a sixth-generation Williamsburg farmer, wife and mother, did not respond to emails or calls from the Gazette for this story. She also did not attend the League of Women Voters forum held Oct. 9 in Kalona to discuss her candidacy.
Driscoll, 45, lists continuing tax cuts, expanding opportunities in agriculture and parental rights in education as his legislative priorities on his campaign website.
Senator Dawn Driscoll (submitted photo)
According to his website, “The Iowa Senate has given parents the option of full-time, in-person learning and allowed parents to decide whether their children will wear masks to school. ” states on his website. “I supported the Parent Bill of Rights to ensure parents have a clear and consistent path to classroom materials and curriculum.”
Driscoll voted in favor of a 2023 bill that would allow public funds to be used for private school tuition.
dawn driscoll
Age: 45 years old
Your town: Williamsburg
Occupation: Farmer, state senator
Previous political position: Iowa State Senate since 2021; Former Iowa County Farm Bureau Commissioner
She also chaired the Agriculture Committee in her most recent Senate term, previously served as Iowa County Agriculture Director, and authored more than a dozen bills and resolutions during her time in Congress, including those supporting stronger protections for America. proposed a plan. border.
She sponsored a resolution recognizing the term “brain health” given the stigma attached to the term “mental health,” and during her first term she signed a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Iowa Constitution, “making it It should not be construed as an endorsement or authorization.” or secure the right to abortion or the right to require public funding for abortion. ” The Iowa Republican Party abandoned the amendment after the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that abortion is not among the rights guaranteed by the Iowa Constitution.
Mr. Driscoll was first elected to represent the 38th Senate District in 2020. The district includes her hometown of Williamsburg, as well as Marengo, Keystone and Vinton. After the state approved a revised legal map in November 2021, Williamsburg was newly included in the 46th District, which includes Wellman, Kalona and Washington.
Driscoll won his first general election to represent the 38th Senate District by a margin of nearly 10,000 votes, 64% to 36%. Driscoll won the 2022 District 46 revised seat by a margin of 2,200 votes, 54% to 46%.
Fundraising activities
As far as financing goes, Mr. Driscoll has a much stronger support system financially, reporting $118,259 in cash on hand at the end of his most recently filed disclosure on Monday.
Driscoll’s biggest donors include the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation Political Action Committee, which gave her $18,500 this cycle, and is affiliated with Manufactured Housing, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association and Deere & Company. Includes political action committees.
Mr. Chabal’s most recent tax return in July showed he had $10,967 in cash on hand.
His biggest contributors include the Washington County and Iowa County Democratic Committees.
Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com
